Martin Dhooge (Ursel) wins Dax Provincial East Flanders

The airfield of Ursel has recently been restored to full glory as an operational base for the Belgian Armed Forces. Whether this has anything to do with the fact that the pigeons of Martin Dhooge from Ursel are flying at the top in the long-distance races remains to be seen... or maybe it's the other way around: perhaps the armed forces are taking inspiration from the pigeons of Martin and Marina.

What is certain, however, is that the friendly Martin, together with his partner Marina, has once again added a very impressive victory to his already outstanding long-distance record. With 1st Provincial East Flanders and 4th National, another jewel has been added to his crown of victories. "Silent King" had already brought Martin into the spotlight with its national victory in Pau.

It’s no surprise that top results come from Ursel. Martin has a deep love for long-distance racing, and he’s been quietly building a strong foundation for years. The results are good—very good!

Here’s a small selection of titles and top results from recent years:

• 1st Champion Marathon Fondclub Eeklo (with 1st + 2nd)
• 1st Champion Riddersclub National Marathon (with 1st + 2nd)
• 1st Ace Pigeon Long Distance Old Birds Meetjesland
• 3rd National Marathon 2024 (with first nominated pigeon over 3 races, including Barcelona)
• 6th KBDB National Ace Pigeon Great Long Distance Old 2024
• 2nd Ace Pigeon Long Distance Old 2024 East Flanders
• 6th Champion Long Distance Old 2024 East Flanders
• 6th PIPA Champions League Great Long Distance Old 2024
• 15th PIPA IATP (International All Time Pigeon) 2024
• 12th and 16th place in the Euro Diamond Pigeon Ranking 2024 (with first nominated on Dax and Narbonne)
• 2nd National Champion Long Distance 2016 KBDB

In previous years:
1st Nat. Pau, 2nd Nat. Bourges, 4th Nat. and Internat. Narbonne, 4th Nat. Montauban, 12th Nat. St-Vincent, 15th Nat. Libourne, 17th Nat. Montauban, 18th Nat. Cahors, 19th Nat. Pau, 20th Nat. Perpignan, 20th Nat. Cahors, …

And the 2025 season is perfectly on track to be a great one as well, with among others:

• 1st Provincial Dax
• 4th National Dax (2,516 pigeons)
• 44th National Agen (4,839 pigeons)
• 77th National Agen (4,839 pigeons)
• 97th National Limoges (13,016 pigeons)

And races from Marseille, Narbonne, and Perpignan are still to come.

Martin and Marina aim to achieve excellent results in the extreme long-distance races (and take the classic long-distance along as well). They try to accomplish this using cocks on classic widowhood and some hens on the nest (Agen hens on the nest, Pau classic widowhood, Dax classic widowhood, Barcelona on nest, Marseille on nest…). Depending on the race and the potential of the pigeons, they are prepared accordingly.

The widowers did not breed before the season but were allowed to incubate eggs. Their preparation is fairly traditional, with the goal of accumulating enough training kilometers. The nest method requires more intense training to keep the rhythm up, but nature helps by ensuring the pigeons are in excellent condition naturally. The hens train at noon, and with a little encouragement, they fly long enough. They are preferably basketed while sitting eggs or with a small chick. Sometimes, the hens train together with the youngsters.

The widowers follow a traditional training schedule and are shown their hen for about ten minutes before being basketed.

Veterinarian Wim Boddaert performs monthly preventive checkups, with a strong preference for minimal medication and a natural approach. Only before extreme long-distance races are the pigeons given a dose of Trichopil.

Marina’s Boy (BE21-4125565) wins the provincial and places 4th nationally

On Saturday morning at 6:12 a.m., Marina’s Boy landed on the perch after a flight of 898 km from Dax to Ursel. Apparently, his internal clock was set early, as this sprint secured him 1st Provincial East Flanders and 4th National among the old birds. A strong performance on a grueling race with headwinds and very hot temperatures along the entire route. He is a beautifully marked pigeon who already performed well at Cahors as a warm-up for this race. He comes from strong bloodlines at Martin’s loft. His father is Casa Barca King (own Monlimo line and from Eddy D’Heedene). His mother again combines Monlimo, Ruben Lancriet, and Frans Waerniers lines. He is a half-brother to pigeons that achieved 97th Nat. Limoges, 44th Nat. Agen, 51st Nat. Agen, and 14th Nat. Narbonne. A fantastic breeding line that has already proven itself in the past and is doing so again now. Another testament to the quality of these pigeons is the Silent King line, which is now slowly starting to shine in other lofts as well—yielding excellent results. A great satisfaction for Martin and Marina. Let the fighter jets continue to train above Ursel—Martin and Marina’s birds already know their routes perfectly from the farthest distances to earn top positions in international races. Another jewel added to the crown in Ursel—and there’s still room for more. New gems may even be added in the coming weeks.

Congratulations on this great win and top result from the Herbots team!
Geert Dhaenens